"You're smoking too much weed," says the guy who got addicted to manosphere podcasts on his orb and started a fascist militia with a side hobby of deliberate environmental destruction. Started cutting down trees to own the woke elves.
Has anyone considered a Pursuit of Jade AU where Qi Min is a "possessive, you are my moral compass, my guiding star, ask it of me and it will be yours" red flag rather than a "possessive, obsessive, controlling, down bad and incapable of being sane about it" red flag?
And what if Qi Min and Yu QianQian were happy once? Yes, she did save him from drowning. Yes, he took her as his concubine. Those were the happiest years of his life. QianQian longed for home but while she was here, she could live happily with this man who treated her as more precious than jade, who granted her every wish, whim, and desire. But then she became pregnant. Rather than celebrate, her husband, her beloved Qi Min, tried to poison her. She almost lost the child. To protect herself and her son, QianQian fled before she could begin to show. Believing her plan to force the death of Qi Min's unborn child a success, Sui Yin, the Princess Changxin, the Sui Clan matriarch, comforted herself with the knowledge that now there would be no competition to displace her true son, Sui Yuanqing.
Qi Min woke to find his beloved QianQian gone, vanished like smoke. He spent six years, six long, lonely years desperately searching for her, only going through the motions of manipulation for the Li Clan's rebellion for what was the point of becoming emperor if he did not have his empress. When he finally found his QianQian he vowed that he would never lose her again. He would demand an explanation for why she left. He would ensure that whatever caused her to flee never happened again. He would grant her every wish, obey her every command, do as she bid in all things. He would replace his own ambitions and dreams with hers. He would do anything and everything she asked of him if only she would swear to never leave him again.
Just imagine:
Qi Min considered the situation before him with no small amount of disgust. His so-called brother Sui Yuanqing was laying waste to the town of Lin'an with a mongrel band of bandits. If not for his timely intervention, Qi Min knew that his QianQian would be lying amongst the dead--or worse, be among the women screaming.
The fear in his QianQian's dark eyes when she realized it was he who had saved her and the child had almost stopped Qi Min in his tracks. What had he done to engender such fear in her? Why had she vanished? Why did she leave him? These were questions that Qi Min would have her answer eventually. For now, he intended to take her and the child who was most assuredly his son far from this place, to wrap her in silk and jewels as she deserved, to give his son everything Qi Min was denied, to keep them both safe from harm.
His QianQian and their son were safely in the carriage, hidden from prying eyes. He turned to join her but then he remembered the unshed tears and his QianQian's whispered plea, her dark eyes flicking wildly around taking in the destruction and suffering. Qi Min could not deny her. He never could deny her anything.
He turned back to the mongrel who called him brother. "Recall your dogs."
Sui Yuanqing frowned. "What?"
"We are leaving. The Marquis of Wu'an is not far off and this unnecessary waste of time will only draw his attention. We do not have the soldiers to repel him. It is time we join our father and General Shi."
Sui Yuanqing growled in frustration. "Fine." He swung back onto his horse. "But first, I have business in Xigu Alley."
Qi Min nodded serenely. "Make it quick. We will meet you on the road." Hopefully whatever business the madman had would get him killed. Without another word, Qi Min entered the carriage where his QianQian and their son waited.
His QianQian flinched at the sight of him and clutched their son closer. Qi Min's heart ached. What had he done to make her fear him so?
Every fiber of his being longed to wrap his QianQian in his arms, to hold her and their son close and never let them go, but that would not convince his QianQian to trust him as she once had. Qi Min forced himself to sit in the corner opposite his family as the carriage began to move, his back pressed painfully against the wood paneling. The wooden edge dug into his spine, the pain granting him the clarity to control the almost overwhelming need to hold his QianQian.
His QianQian met his considering gaze squarely, her beautiful dark eyes still wide, still fearful, but there was fire burning in their dark depths. Good. Her spirit was not broken. The boy in her arms had her large, dark eyes but his skin sun-dark, much like Qi Min's own. A child that was both his QianQian and him. Living proof that his QianQian was truly his. Once he proved to his QianQian that she need never fear him, that he was a devoted as he had ever been, maybe once she trusted him again they could have another child. Perhaps a daughter who was his QianQian's miniature.
"I have convinced Sui Yuanqing to leave this place alone," Qi Min said into the oppressive quiet.
"Why?"
Her voice was the most beautiful melody Qi Min had ever known. His eyes flutter involuntarily, the breath momentarily stolen from his lungs. Had he his way, Qi Min would never listen to anything else. "Because," he said quietly, "you asked me to help them."
His QianQian licked her lips; her perfect peony petal lips. Desire burned in his gut but he would not touch her. Not yet. Not until she begged for him. "That's all it took?"
"You need only ever ask it of me and I will make it so." He leaned forward. His fingers twitched; oh, how he wished to hold her. "All I ask in return is that you do not leave me. Not again. Never leave me again."
His QianQian took a deep, shaky breath. "And if I want you to stop your rebellion?"
His QianQian was far more knowledgeable than Qi Min had expected. And yet Qi Min knew this would be his QianQian's request even before she opened her mouth. He had considered this even before he found her again.
Qi Min knew himself. He was not a good man. He was not kind or merciful. Much of his life was spent plotting and scheming to take back what the Wei and Sui Traitors stole from him. It was only by fate's hand that his QianQian had saved him. Had she not pulled him from the water and brought him back to life Qi Min would still have only vengeance in his heart. But his QianQian had saved him and doing so irrevocably altered his destiny.
When his QianQian suddenly vanished like smoke, Qi Min had sworn to Heaven that if he found her again he would renounce all ambitions for the Dragon Throne. He had vowed to replace his own ambitions and dreams with hers. His QianQian was his guiding star. He would do anything and everything she asked of him if only she would swear to never leave him again.
When he finally found his QianQian in that bustling restaurant, he had vowed that he would never lose her again. He would demand an explanation for why she left. He would ensure that whatever caused her to flee never happened again. He would grant her every wish, obey her every command, do as she bid in all things. If she wished to be empress, he would make it so. But if she wished to leave schemes and treachery behind, he would give her a quiet, peaceful life far from the machinations of the imperial court.
What was an empire, absolute power, untold riches, compared to his QianQian? It was such a small price to pay to have his QianQian in his arms again.
"Then," he answered, voice barely above a whisper so outsiders would not hear him, "I join forces with the Marquis Wu'an to stop Prince Changxin and his conspirators."
"That easy?" his QianQian demanded fiercely.
"You asked it of me," Qi Min said simply, meeting her gaze with steady honesty, probably the most honesty he had ever given anyone since the fire. "When have I ever denied you anything?"
Also we find out that they are both fuckin' stupid. Bless. And yes I did take a lot of time to draw out zoro's boobies that i gave up working on backgrounds properly. AND???
The second part (I should have titled these or something lol) will show up.....when i do it lol I have almost all parts outlined. Second one is mostly written. I just have to draw it out in CSP. So sorry if it takes a while but it might take a while lol This is the longest comic I've done that wasn't for oni press LMAO
So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.
I love the lawyer metaphor, because whenever I see “John knew that...” in prose writing I immediately think “how? How does he know it?” Interrogate your witnesses. Cross-examine them. Make them explain their reasoning. It pays dividends.
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